Javelina Formation Explained

Javelina Formation
Type:	Geological formation
Age:	Maastrichtian,
Period:	Maastrichtian
Prilithology:	Sandstone
Otherlithology:	Claystone, mudstone, siltstone, conglomerate
Namedfor:	Javelina
Coordinates:	29.3°N -103.4°W
Paleocoordinates:	36°N -82.8°W
Unitof:	Tornillo Group
Underlies:	Black Peaks Formation
Overlies:	Aguja Formation

The Javelina Formation is a geological formation in Texas. Dating has shown that the strata date to the Maastrichtian stage of the Late Cretaceous, approximately 70 to 66.5 million years old. The middle part of the formation has been dated to about 69 million years ago plus or minus 1 million years and the top situated near the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary (in the overlying Black Peaks Formation^[1]), dated to 66 Ma ago.^[2] Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation.^[3]

Age

The typical age range of the Javelina Formation has been difficult to determine.^[4] Only one geological site in the Javelina Formation has thus far yielded the correct rock types for radiometric dating. The outcrop, situated in the middle strata of the formation about 90 meters below the K-Pg boundary and within the local range of Alamosaurus fossils and below two sites that have yielded Quetzalcoatlus fossils, was dated to 69.0 plus or minus 0.9 million years old in 2010.^[2] Indeterminate chasmosaurinae fossils have also been as well.^[5]

Fossil content

Vertebrate paleofauna

Vertebrates of the Javelina Formation
Genus	Species	Location	Stratigraphic position	Material	Notes	Images
Alamosaurus	A. sanjuanensis				A titanosaurian sauropod, also from the Ojo Alamo Formation
Bravoceratops	B. polyphemus				A chasmosaurine ceratopsid known from the lowermost part of the Javelina Formation which dates back to the early Maastrichtian.^[6]
Dasyatis^[7]	Unknown				A ray
Gryposaurus?^[8]	G.? alsatei				A saurolophine hadrosaurid known from the Two Medicine Formation, the Dinosaur Park Formation, the Kaiparowits Formation, possible remains have also been unearthed in the El Picacho Formation.^[9]
Kritosaurus^[10]	K. cf. navajovius^[11] ^[12]				A saurolophine handrosaurid, also known from the Kirtland Formation, Aguja Formation, Ojo Alamo Formation and the El Picacho Formation. A possible second species of Kritosaurus might have lived in the Javelina Formation.
Quetzalcoatlus	Q. northropi and Q. lawsoni^[13]				An azhdarchid pterosaur
Rhombodus	Unknown				A ray
Saurornitholestes^[14]	S. cf. langstoni				A dromaeosaurid
Saurolophinae	Indeterminate				A saurolophine handrosaurid similar to the genus Saurolophus.
Torosaurus^[15]	T. cf. utahensis				A chasmosaurine ceratopsid whose remains have been found in the Frenchman Formation, Hell Creek Formation, North Horn Formation, McRae Formation, and Lance Formation.
Troodontidae	Indeterminate^[16]				A troodontid
cf. Tyrannosaurus	Indeterminate^[17]				A tyrannosaurid, originally identified from the Hell Creek Formation. Also found in the Denver, Ferris, Frenchman, Lance, Livingston, North Horn, Scollard, and Willow Creek Formations.	^[18]
Trionychidae	Indeterminate				Indeterminate turtle remains
Wellnhopterus	W. brevirostris				An azhdarchid pterosaur.

Flora

Woody dicots and angiosperms have been unearthed in this formation.^{[19] [20]} Plant fossils indicate that this area was a woodland habitat.^[21]

See also

• List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations
• List of fossiliferous stratigraphic units in Texas
• Paleontology in Texas
• Cretaceous Texas
• Corsicana Marl
• El Picacho Formation
• Escondido Formation
  • Kemp Clay Nacatoch Sand
• Neylandville Marl

Further reading

• S. L. Wick and T. M. Lehman. 2013. A new ceratopsian dinosaur from the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian) of West Texas and implications for chasmosaurine phylogeny. Naturwissenschaften
• T. M. Lehman and A. B. Coulson. 2002. A juvenile specimen of the sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis from the Upper Cretaceous of Big Bend National Park, Texas. Journal of Paleontology 76(1):156-172
• A. R. Fiorillo. 1998. Preliminary report on a new sauropod locality in the Javelina Formation (Late Cretaceous), Big Bend National Park, Texas. In V. L. Santucci & L. McClelland (eds.), National Park Service Geologic Resources Division Technical Report NPS/NRGRD/GRDTR-98/01. National Park Service Paleontological Research Volume 3:29-31
• A. W. A. Kellner and W. Langston. 1996. Cranial remains of Quetzalcoatlus (Pterosauria, Azhdarchidae) from Late Cretaceous sediments of Big Bend National Park, Texas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 16(2):222-231
• D. A. Lawson. 1976. Tyrannosaurus and Torosaurus, Maestrichtian dinosaurs from Trans-Pecos, Texas. Journal of Paleontology 50(1):158-164
• D. A. Lawson. 1975. Pterosaur from the latest Cretaceous of West Texas: discovery of the largest flying creature. Science 187:947-948

Notes and References

1. Woodward, H. N. (2005). Bone histology of the sauropod dinosaur Alamosaurus sanjuanensis from the Javelina Formation, Big Bend National Park, Texas.
2. Lehman . T.M. . McDowell . F. . Connelly . J. . 2006 . First isotopic (U-Pb) age for the Late Cretaceous Alamosaurus vertebrate fauna of West Texas, and its significance as a link between two faunal provinces . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 26 . 4. 922–928 . 10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[922:fiuaft]2.0.co;2. 130280606 .
3. Weishampel, David B; et al. (2004). "Dinosaur distribution (Late Cretaceous, North America)." In: Weishampel, David B.; Dodson, Peter; and Osmólska, Halszka (eds.): The Dinosauria, 2nd, Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp. 574-588. .
4. Sullivan . R.M. . Lucas . S.G. . 2006 . The Kirtlandian land-vertebrate "age" – faunal composition, temporal position and biostratigraphic correlation in the nonmarine Upper Cretaceous of western North America . New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Bulletin . 35 . 7–29 .
5. Hunt . ReBecca . CERATOPSID DINOSAURS FROM THE JAVELINA FORMATION (MAASTRICHTIAN), BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK, TEXAS . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . September 2005 . 25 . 3 . 72A . 27 November 2020.
6. Wick . Steven L. . Lehman . Thomas M. . A new ceratopsian dinosaur from the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian) of West Texas and implications for chasmosaurine phylogeny . Naturwissenschaften . 1 July 2013 . 100 . 7 . 667–682 . 10.1007/s00114-013-1063-0 . 23728202 . 2013NW....100..667W . 16048008 . 27 November 2020.
7. Hunt . ReBecca K. . Santucci . Vincent L. . Kenworthy . Jason . 2006 . A preliminary inventory of fossil fish from National Park Service units." in S.G. Lucas, J.A. Spielmann, P.M. Hester, J.P. Kenworthy, and V.L. Santucci (ed.s), Fossils from Federal Lands . New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin . 34 . 63–69 .
8. Lehman . Thomas M. . Wick . Steven L. . Wagner . Jonathan R. . 2016 . Hadrosaurian dinosaurs from the Maastrichtian Javelina Formation, Big Bend National Park, Texas . Journal of Paleontology . 90. 2. 1–24. 10.1017/jpa.2016.48 . 2016JPal...90..333L . 133329640 .
9. Book: Osmólska . Halszka . Dobson . Peter . Weishampel . David B. . The Dinosauria . 6 November 2004 . University of California Press . Berkeley, CA . 9780520242098 . 582 .
10. Wagner . Jonathan R. . The hadrosaurian dinosaurs (ornithischia: hadrosauria) of Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, with implications for late Cretaceous paleozoogeography . Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Tech University . May 2001 . 2346/11160 . 24 October 2020. Thesis .
11. Wagner . Jonathan R. . The hadrosaurian dinosaurs (ornithischia: hadrosauria) of Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas, with implications for late Cretaceous paleozoogeography . Doctoral Dissertation, Texas Tech University . May 2001 . 2346/11160 . 24 October 2020. Thesis .
12. Wagner . Jonathan R. . Lehman . Thomas M. . A new species of Kritosaurus from the Cretaceous of Big Bend National Park, Brewster County, Texas . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 2001 . 21 . 3 . 110A–111A .
13. B. . Andres . W. Jr. . Langston . Morphology and taxonomy of Quetzalcoatlus Lawson 1975 (Pterodactyloidea: Azhdarchoidea) . Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology . 2021 . 41 . sup1 . 142 . 10.1080/02724634.2021.1907587 . 2021JVPal..41S..46A . 245125409 . 0272-4634. free .
14. Book: Sankey . J. T. . B. R. . Standhardt . J. A. . Schiebout . 2005 . Theropod teeth from the Upper Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian), Big Bed National Park, Texas. Carpenter, K.. The Carnivorous Dinosaurs. Indiana University Press, Bloomington . 127–152 . 978-0-253-34539-4.
15. Hunt . ReBecca K. . Lehman . Thomas M. . 2008 . Attributes of the ceratopsian dinosaur Torosaurus, and new material from the Javelina Formation (Maastrichtian) of Texas . Journal of Paleontology . 82 . 6. 1127–1138 . 10.1666/06-107.1. 2008JPal...82.1127H . 129385183 .
16. Tweet. J.S.. Santucci. V.L.. 2018. An Inventory of Non-Avian Dinosaurs from National Park Service Areas. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin. 79. 703–730.
17. Dalman . Sebastian G. . Loewen . Mark A. . Pyron . R. Alexander . Jasinski . Steven E. . Malinzak . D. Edward . Lucas . Spencer G. . Fiorillo . Anthony R. . Currie . Philip J. . Longrich . Nicholas R. . January 11, 2024 . A giant tyrannosaur from the Campanian–Maastrichtian of southern North America and the evolution of tyrannosaurid gigantism . Scientific Reports . en . 13 . 1 . 22124 . 10.1038/s41598-023-47011-0 . 2045-2322. 38212342 . free. 10784284 .
18. Wick . Steven L. . New evidence for the possible occurrence of Tyrannosaurus in West Texas, and discussion of Maastrichtian tyrannosaurid dinosaurs from Big Bend National Park . Cretaceous Research . July 2014 . 50 . 52–58 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2014.03.010 . 2014CrRes..50...52W . 27 November 2020.
19. Wheeler . Elisabeth A. . Lehman . Thomas M. . Late Cretaceous woody dicots from the Aguja and Javelina Formations, BiBend National Park, Texas, USA. . IAWA Journal . 1 January 2000 . 21 . 1 . 83–120 . 10.1163/22941932-90000239 . 84528074 . 24 October 2020. free .
20. Lehman . Thomas M. . Shiller II . Thomas A. . An angiosperm woodland in the Javelina Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Big Bend National Park, Texas, U.S.A. . Cretaceous Research . 2020 . 115 . 104569 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104569 . 2020CrRes.11504569L . 225616237 . 24 October 2020.
21. Lehman . Thomas M. . Shiller II . Thomas A. . An angiosperm woodland in the Javelina Formation (Upper Cretaceous), Big Bend National Park, Texas, U.S.A. . Cretaceous Research . 2020 . 115 . 104569 . 10.1016/j.cretres.2020.104569 . 2020CrRes.11504569L . 225616237 . 24 October 2020.
22. Jacobs, L. 1995. Lone Star Dinosaurs. Texas A&M University Press. p.102
23. Wheeler . E. A. . T. M. . Lehman . P. E. . Gasson . 1994 . Javelinoxylon, an Upper Cretaceous dicotyledonous tree from Big Bend National Park, Texas, with presumed Malvalean affinities . . 81 . 6 . 703–710. 10.1002/j.1537-2197.1994.tb15504.x .